Jay Z’s Scholarship Fund Pays For Low-Income Students to Study Abroad

Jay Z is out here changing lives on the low.
Earlier this year, Harry Belafonte recently called him out, as well as his wife Beyonce and other leading black artists for not using their power, money, or influence to take a stance against social issues of the world today, but it looks as though Jay is definitely out here making wishes come true by helping underprivileged students pay for college and broaden their horizons by studying abroad.
Just recently, Jay’s Shawn Carter Foundation partnered up with the Gilman International Scholarships and U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to help four students travel and study in different parts of the world, spending up to $12,000 per student.
One of those lucky students was 21-year-old Laquisha Springer who is studying behavioral neuroscience at Connecticut College but was able to spend a semester at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, thanks to Jay Z. Laquisha told Diverse Education that not only is she thankful but she’s proud of Jay for being devoted to to seeing students succeed.It makes me proud, you know, to know that someone who is relatively close to my age and someone I can relate to who’s had to struggle to get to where he is, that he’s investing in my future. That shows me that he believes in my future.On her experience studying abroadI never felt so alive until I took risks, had engaging conversations with people [with whom] I seemingly had nothing in common, explored a new city, ate food I had no idea what it was, and took classes from professors who have had experience in their field. I stepped and was gently nudged outside of my comfort zone. I do not believe that there was a moment that I did not learn something new from studying abroad.

As for the critics, Laquisha says that folks shouldn’t be mad he hasn’t change the world, but should be happy he’s out here trying to change lives one person at a time.I mean, it probably doesn’t help that his net worth is almost at $1 billion. So I’m assuming people, when they say

he’s not doing enough, they’re expecting him to literally help the world, but for me, personally at least, his foundation has helped me out at lot since I’ve been a scholar.

Word is the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation has shelled out $1.3 million in scholarships since it was created, and last year it helped 188 students fund their education.

If you are a student who needs assistance paying for college,
A high percentage of the scholarship recipients come from single parent households, are first generation college students and have a household income of below $40,000 a year